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Back to the Future: new UEL course looks at East London’s heritage

Friday 8 July 2011

MA Heritage Studies

The University of East London is offering students an amazing opportunity to gain skills and experience in the heritage industry through its new MA in Heritage Studies.

The programme, which has been developed in partnership with the MA in Museum Cultures offered by Birkbeck, University of London, and is available from September 2011, will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of public history and heritage studies, while equipping them with key skills in researching, interpreting and communicating history.

The MA has a strong focus on place, memory, oral history and multi-media production, which are rapidly expanding areas of heritage practice. Through this programme, students will develop the tools necessary to produce digital media and to explore heritage issues in London’s east end and beyond.
Students from both the UEL MA in Heritage Studies and the Birkbeck MA in Museum Cultures will be able to study relevant modules at both institutions. The course also offers a module on contemporary archives based at the London Metropolitan Archives and work experience placements with museums, archives and heritage companies in London.

Dr Toby Butler, Lecturer in London History and Heritage at UEL, said: “This is a really exciting programme that involves UEL staff from several fields and will see students documenting events of the past, through the use of modern media. By sharing options with Birkbeck, University of London, we can offer an impressive range of options and benefit from each other’s expertise.”

Modules will be taught in the evening to enable students to combine study with work or other commitments and the course can be taken part-time or full-time. Modules delivered by UEL will include Memory, Heritage and the Politics of the Past, Place, Oral History and Digital Heritage, Education in Museums, Heritage and Visual Cultures, Family History and Digital Heritage and Migration and Heritage. Modules available at Birkbeck, University of London, include: Exhibiting the Pain of Others, Museums, Violence and Memory, Medicine and Visual Culture and Exhibiting Cultures.

Fewer modules can be taken to gain other qualifications, such as a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in Heritage Studies.

For further information, follow this link or contact Dr Toby Butler on t.butler@uel.ac.uk

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Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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